五倍子ふし

also: ごばいし

ふ

し

Meanings

sumac gallnut; Chinese gall

A gall produced by aphids on sumac trees, used in traditional medicine and dyeing. The reading ふし is a gikun (customary reading) for 五倍子.

五倍子ふしは、タンニンを多おおく含ふくむため、古ふるくから染せん料りょうや薬やく用ように用もちいられてきた。
Sumac gallnuts, being rich in tannins, have been used since ancient times for dyeing and medicinal purposes.

Kanji

五five
倍double, twice, times
子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM
付adhere, attach, refer to
附affixed, attach, refer to

Word family

没ふ食し子ば蜂ち
gall wasp
キブシ
early stachyurus; early spiketail
フシノキ
Chinese sumac (Brucea javanica)
ヤシャブシ
Alnus firma (species of alder)

Written forms

五倍子Usage71%
- ふし
  Standard kanji spelling for the gallnut; reading ふし is a gikun (customary reading).
- ごばいし
  Alternate reading for 五倍子, less common than ふし.
付ふ子しUsage29%
Less common variant of 附子.
附ふ子し
Alternate kanji spelling; also used for the gallnut.
ごばいし

Etymology

The word refers to the gallnut formed on Rhus javanica (sumac) trees. The kanji 五倍子 literally means 'five-fold seed', possibly referring to its appearance. The reading ふし is a gikun (customary reading) not derived from the individual kanji.